Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-12-21

the face of light foreign demand and
falling prices elsewhere
The combination held up long, and the
margins to sustain it were regularly paid,
but the break came at last and the mystery
was solved. All the available cash of the
aged Briggs Swift, and nearly all that of
the depO5itors Of the Fidelity National
bank, had gone into the 'deai" and was
rretricvably lost. The responsible man
was Edward l.. Harper, and associated
with him were Amm Baldwin, cashier,
and Benjamin Hopkins assistant cashier.
The last two wait their turn, as Harper is
tried first.
He is comparatively n young man, not
quite 40 years old, native of the lumber
regions OF Pennsylvania, and has been
Spectator from the start. 1t is said that
in one transaction, in 1884, he and few
associates nctted $1,000, 0GJ in a Chicago
deal. Infatuated, like Other gamblers, he
went i'll again, on the falling market Of
1855, ana lost it all; third time he tried
it, with other peoples money, and is now
called upon to prove that his action was
not criminal. The prosecution charges
that lie was assisted by Cashiers Hopkins
and Ammi Baldwin. The latter is co
years old and has seen much trouble. His
son, Harry Baldwin, was murdered on the
street in Cincinnati in 1879, and no clew
to the pcrpetrator WAS ever found. Benja-
min Hopkins is 50 years old, and man If
marked ability in some respects, but very
peculiar in others; he is u Spiritualist Of
the extreme type and en- eager reader of
all sorts of out OF the way and occult
literature. The prosecution charges that
he connived with Harper for the exchange
of personal checks; that these were TO be
returned in the asses as cash, and that
.IGcip In, cIn Of hn
bank, over whom Harper exercised some
strange influence, did the fraudulent
clerical work. She is also under arrest.
Additional charges against Harper relate
to fictitious credits, false accounts and
bogus certificates of deposit.
AS might be expected, there was much
difficulty in securing jury, the matter
having obtained wide notoriety, all the
facts having been published in the papers.
y special vCnire was issued and sixty
talCSmCn were sworn on their voir dire
before the Impartial twelve were Sc
lected Nearly AL the talesmen are
farmers of the best class, and the jury
consists of men of high character. 1t is
occasions like this, especially in the agri-
cultural regions, that show the value OF
American institutions and the high char
acter OF American citizenship. The YER
dict of such jury carries with it the
force of mnturcd and honest conclusions.
All the surroundings of the trial are such
as to make it historic. 1t Is held in the
! large and handsome United States cireuit
| court room, on Main street; the adorn-
meats of the room symbolic tho dignity
of the government, and from the wall the
| large portraits of the late Judges Swing and
| Mclean look down upon their worthy sue
cessors, Judges Sage and Jackson. United
| States District Attorney Burnett assisted
| 10y Nh Henry Hooper, procedures Maj.
| Blackburn and cX-JudSe Wilson defend;
| United States Marshal Henry c. Urner
and his deputy, Richard G. Rohner, are
the ministerial officers, and Miss Ryan,
| petite, black eyed young lady, is official
stenoSraphcr. The crowd in attendance
| packs the room; the prisoner Is attended
! by his wife and family, and in the audi
ercc are many distinguished lawyers and
| public men. The people recognize this as
one of the great trials of the age